Mega sports events volunteering : journeys with a past, a present and a future

The purpose of this research is to explore volunteer involvement at a mega-sports event (MSE) using the metaphorical volunteer journey as a lens. It responds to a call for research to provide insight into the background of MSE volunteers (Baum and Lockstone 2007). This need has arisen from past studies of volunteer involvement generating large lists of expectations and motivations through a predominantly survey based approach. The context used for this study is the Frontrunner pre-event volunteer programme for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and a narrative approach is applied allowing the volunteer experience to be considered from both the individual and group perspectives. The stories suggest that the individuals arrive at volunteering at Glasgow 2014 as a result of a dynamic process informed by the pragmatist school of thought. The stories also highlight the underlying meaning of volunteers’ involvement through consideration of past lived experiences